Jeff Malet Photography

May 14, 2011
Bagpipes trace their roots to the Middle East several centuries BCE. But it was in Ireland and Scotland that the instrument became popular, used to signal a death and escort the fallen to the final resting place. Their strong association with law enforcement in the United States developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Irish-Americans stepped forward and began to fill the growing ranks of our law enforcement agencies.
17th Annual Emerald Society & Pipe Band March and Service at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial (May 14, 2011). This annual service remembered all law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, in particular officers of Gaelic descent.